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The Bible1 Kings 1

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1 Kings 1

1
English · Berean Standard Bible

Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.

2
English · Berean Standard Bible

So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”

3
English · Berean Standard Bible

Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.

4
English · Berean Standard Bible

The girl was unsurpassed in beauty; she cared for the king and served him, but he had no relations with her.

5
English · Berean Standard Bible

At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.

6
English · Berean Standard Bible

(His father had never once reprimanded him by saying, “Why do you act this way?” Adonijah was also very handsome, born next after Absalom.)

7
English · Berean Standard Bible

So Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, who supported him.

8
English · Berean Standard Bible

But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.

9
English · Berean Standard Bible

And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah who were servants of the king.

10
English · Berean Standard Bible

But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.

11
English · Berean Standard Bible

Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?

12
English · Berean Standard Bible

Now please, come and let me advise you. Save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.

13
English · Berean Standard Bible

Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

14
English · Berean Standard Bible

Then, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15
English · Berean Standard Bible

So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was serving him.

16
English · Berean Standard Bible

And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”

17
English · Berean Standard Bible

“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’

18
English · Berean Standard Bible

But now, behold, Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know it.

19
English · Berean Standard Bible

And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he has not invited your servant Solomon.

20
English · Berean Standard Bible

And as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

21
English · Berean Standard Bible

Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as criminals.”

22
English · Berean Standard Bible

And just then, while Bathsheba was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.

23
English · Berean Standard Bible

So the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the king.

24
English · Berean Standard Bible

“My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne’?

25
English · Berean Standard Bible

For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

26
English · Berean Standard Bible

But me your servant he has not invited, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon.

27
English · Berean Standard Bible

Has my lord the king let this happen without informing your servant who should sit on the throne after my lord the king?”

28
English · Berean Standard Bible

Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.

29
English · Berean Standard Bible

And the king swore an oath, saying, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,

30
English · Berean Standard Bible

I will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

31
English · Berean Standard Bible

Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

32
English · Berean Standard Bible

Then King David said, “Call in for me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.

33
English · Berean Standard Bible

“Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.

34
English · Berean Standard Bible

There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’

35
English · Berean Standard Bible

Then you shall go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. For I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36
English · Berean Standard Bible

“Amen,” replied Benaiah son of Jehoiada. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it.

37
English · Berean Standard Bible

Just as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne even greater than that of my lord King David.”

38
English · Berean Standard Bible

Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.

39
English · Berean Standard Bible

Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”

40
English · Berean Standard Bible

All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.

41
English · Berean Standard Bible

Now Adonijah and all his guests were finishing their feast when they heard the sound of the ram’s horn. “Why is the city in such a loud uproar?” asked Joab.

42
English · Berean Standard Bible

As he was speaking, suddenly Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” said Adonijah, “for you are a man of valor. You must be bringing good news.”

43
English · Berean Standard Bible

“Not at all,” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king.

44
English · Berean Standard Bible

And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king’s mule.

45
English · Berean Standard Bible

Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there with rejoicing that rings out in the city. That is the noise you hear.

46
English · Berean Standard Bible

Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.

47
English · Berean Standard Bible

The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than your own name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king has bowed in worship on his bed,

48
English · Berean Standard Bible

saying, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne, and my eyes have seen it.’”

49
English · Berean Standard Bible

At this, all the guests of Adonijah arose in terror and scattered.

50
English · Berean Standard Bible

But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.

51
English · Berean Standard Bible

It was reported to Solomon: “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me not to put his servant to the sword.’”

52
English · Berean Standard Bible

And Solomon replied, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he will die.”

53
English · Berean Standard Bible

So King Solomon summoned Adonijah down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your home.”

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Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain). Original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb (CC BY 4.0). · Source ↗

Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain), from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. Original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes: lemma and morphology markup removed; morpheme separators removed; qere readings shown in [brackets] after the ketiv, which is shown in (parentheses); petucha/setuma marks omitted; verses renumbered to English versification (Psalm titles moved to headings).

The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB. Dedicated to the public domain. · Source ↗

The Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version), standard text of 1769; electronic text courtesy of eBible.org and the CrossWire Bible Society. Public domain outside the United Kingdom. In the UK, rights in the Authorized Version are vested in the Crown under Letters Patent, administered by Cambridge University Press. · Source ↗

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